Question for Chris regarding the Donnay Gold 99

I saw from the Formula 100 and Gold 99 reviews that you rated the Gold 99 at a slightly higher power level. I notice that for whatever reason, maybe its combination of a faster swing, more weight, or playing more confident & aggressively that some days I can take a lower powered players racket and hit balls just as fast or faster than with a higher powered tweener. Is this the case with the Gold 99 vs the Formula 100, or does the Gold 99 really have a more powerful response? Also could you very briefly compare the two frames? The Formula 100 is frame I feel pretty familiar with.

I think it is due to the Gold 99 being slightly heavier, but also slightly faster feeling with a lower swingweight and more head light feel that has me getting more pace on my shots. But the difference is only slight.

The 100 is a much more modern feeling racquet. I would say it is a more comfortable and feel oriented Pure Drive, but lacks the pop, crispness and stability of the Pure Drive.

The Gold 99 is a much more traditional feeling racquet in its response. It is also very comfortable, feels dampened yet does not leave the player feeling disconnected. It has more pop than the X-Red it replaced.

I'm about to pick up a Dual Gold. I chose that over the F3.0 Tour. Per Chris' suggestion, I played a few matches with it, and it worked out well. It's a solid stick. It had good touch at the net, and good control from the baseline. I was able to swing harder, and keep the ball in. The grip runs small to me though. So I may get a bigger size. And it was strung with a hybrid.

I've played a modified London for the past two years and am sorely disappointed that no update will be forthcoming.

I have a sense that this X-Dual Gold 99 may be the closest replacement that I'll find. Would you agree? What other frames, of the plethora that you've playtested, would be good candidates to replace my discontinued Londons?

I think it is due to the Gold 99 being slightly heavier, but also slightly faster feeling with a lower swingweight and more head light feel that has me getting more pace on my shots. But the difference is only slight.

The 100 is a much more modern feeling racquet. I would say it is a more comfortable and feel oriented Pure Drive, but lacks the pop, crispness and stability of the Pure Drive.

The Gold 99 is a much more traditional feeling racquet in its response. It is also very comfortable, feels dampened yet does not leave the player feeling disconnected. It has more pop than the X-Red it replaced.

The new 2013 Head Speed MP would be worth a demo. I can't say much about that racquet yet, but it fits in with what you are looking for.

The Donnay Gold 99 for sure. I'd also add in the Head Prestige S, Dunlop M3.0 and Mantis Tour 305.

Chris, TW

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Thanks, Chris.

I hit a 300G for over four years and a 4D 300 Tour for over two, so a Dunlop 300 would be a fairly easy transition, especially with the supposed, newfound pop and my added weight.

A friend demo'd the Prestige S and Mantis Tour 315, and I hit both and was impressed with both. The "S" I would likely mod up to around the MP's weight, with the benefit of more pop and the open string pattern and softer flex than the Pro. I really liked the Mantis and thought that it reminded me of my old 300 Tours, but I thought that the hoop wasn't quite responsive enough for what I perceived to be a stiffer throat.

The 305 Tour that you recommended, on the other hand, looks like it might be a sleeper; thanks for the heads up! Looks like I could easily add a .5oz of weight to this one without sacrificing the purported control of the frame.

The Donnay Gold 99 is a no brainer. Looks like I have my four: Gold 99, M 3.0, Prestige S, and Mantis Tour 305. Thanks again.

The Donnay Gold 99 for sure. I'd also add in the Head Prestige S, Dunlop M3.0 and Mantis Tour 305.

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Hey Chris,

I've given this a little more thought, and I should mention that my Londons are probably in the 11.8-11.9oz. range, 5-6pts hl, and guessing, a SW of around 325-330. And to be honest, I don't have any desire to hit anything any lighter.

With that said, the only racquet on the list that gets into my preferred weight range is the Gold 99, and I'm sure that I'd weight it a bit. Therefore, I have two questions:

1) Would you still recommend the M 3.0, Mantis Tour 305, and Prestige S weighted up to my preferred specs? I would at least try them stock, but I really don't care for that light of a racquet, although I've always hit such a class of sticks, albeit customized. Even my old 300G's were customized to 11.8oz. And that's not to say that I'm stuck on a particular spec, considering that I hit the K-Blade 98 with as little as 4g at 3/9 and a grip counter. I guess what I need to know is that these suggestions are customizable frames that won't max out in the power dept., etc., short of weighting them to an acceptable balance of pop/control/stability.

2) What might you suggest, in addition to the Gold 99, that fits my preferred specs stock and that plays similarly to my modified Londons, assuming that you can imagine playing a London with the bumper covered with head tape, 3g at 3/9, 1.5g in the throat, and a Gamma Hi-Tech grip (or sometimes leather) with a Wilson Overgrip?

The heaviest stick that I've played was the C-10 Pro (08), and I liked it, but I prefer just a slightly more more modern feel---but ever so slightly, which is why I like a London-type frame. Thanks!

You would have to weight all of them, which I expected since you have customized your Londons.

On the heavier front, the Donnay Pro One, ProKennex Q Tour and Black Ace MP, Blade 98, Prestige Pro, Organix 10 325 MP, Six.One 95, TFight 320 & 325 and the VCORE Tour 97 all come to mind. Some of those might be a tad high on the static weight front, but should be manageable swingweight wise.